Abby Lee Miller
Abby Lee Miller, born Abigale Lee Miller, is an American dance instructor, choreographer, and reality television personality. She is the director and owner of Reign Dance Productions. At the age of fourteen, she founded her own dance studio, the Abby Lee Dance Company, which is the focus of the Lifetime reality series Dance Moms for eight season. She is known best for her role on the show that often pushes them to their limit. Early Years Abigale "Abby" Lee Miller was born on September 21, 1966 to Maryen Lorrain and George L. Miller. She is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Career in Dance Abby grew up taking classes at her mother's studio, Maryen Lorrain Dance Studio, where she earned her love of dance. Her mother was a 50-year member of Dance Masters of America. Maryen Lorrain owned several dance studios in Miami, Florida, prior to getting married and giving birth to Abby. In 1980, at the age of 14 Abby was given the responsibility to choreograph for her mother's competition team. Abby took over her mother's studio and renamed it Reign Dance Productions in 1995. She became certified by Dance Masters of America and became a member of Dance Masters of Pennsylvania Chapter #10 in 1986, but her membership was terminated in February 2012, with DMA saying Miller's reality-TV show Dance Moms was "a total misrepresentation of our dance educators and their students and is detrimental to the dance profession." Career in Reality Television In 2011, Abby Lee Miller began to star in Lifetime's Dance Moms. She continued to star on the show until February 2017. After opening a branch of the Abby Lee Dance Company in Los Angeles, Abby announced she quit the series. In 2018, she announced Dance Moms ''would be returning to Lifetime for another season. In June 2019, season 8 premiered. Three spin-offs have come from the Lifetime series. ''Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition ran for 2 seasons with 22 episodes total. Dance Moms: Miami ran for 1 season with 8 episodes. Abby's Studio Rescue ''ran for 1 season with 7 episodes. Dance Moms Abby is known for being an extremely strict teacher as her words often brings her students to tears. Abby has stated before that she "would rather be the one to make her students cry in her studio than have them break down and cry in an open-casting call in front of hundreds of other talented performers." Although she places pressure on the girls and often puts them head to head in competitions, she prioritizes the girls celebrating the other girls achievements. Abby commonly fights with the mothers, especially Christi Lukasiak, the mother of Chloe. Abby and Christi have both expressed their opinions and agree neither of them can stand the other one. Abby also fights with Kelly, the mother of Brooke and Paige. Kelly danced with Abby when she was younger, which is the cause of the tension between the two. Kelly was a member of Abby's original team, but quit to become a cheerleader. Abby is often accused of showing favoritism to Melissa, Maddie and Mackenzie. Abby is also known for her rivalry with Cathy and the Candy Apples Dance Studio. Cathy is a former dance mom at the Abby Lee Dance Company. Cathy came and left in the first season of ''Dance Moms. Abby and Cathy regularly taunt and antagonize each other during the show. Abby is known for training employable dancers. She maintains relationships with many of her students that graduate from the studio. She cares for the girls, defending herself from critics by saying she has served as part time guardian in raising thousands of her students, doing everything from driving them alone to competitions to nursing them when sick and tending their broken bones. Abby's critics often accuse her of "crossing a line from disciplinarian into the clearly abusive with her verbal assaults on students." Personal Information Along side dance, Abby also went to Girl Scouts, had clarinet lessons, did roller skating, ice skating, had sewing lessons at Sears, took swim team in the summer and ski club in the winter, and attended Charm School. She hated being onstage and performing. She realized her talents were better behind the scenes. In January 2014, there were rumors that Abby was engaged. Those rumors were completely false and Abby says it was to give her dying mother comfort that someone was there for Abby. Abby's mom passed away in February 2014 due to stage 4 colon cancer. Abby was named as a co-defendant in a lawsuit brought by Kelly against Collins Avenue Productions, seeking monetary damages from various charges, including infliction of emotional distress. Amongst legal claims as to the background of the case, Kelly's lawyers state that Abby was "caring and nurturing" towards Kelly's daughters before the show; but is paid to be "abusive and bullying" as "part of a deliberate scheme by producers to generate interest in the show." In November 2014, Judge Ruth Kwan dismissed Kelly's charges against Abby and the producers regarding infliction of emotional distress against Paige; and for defamation against Kelly. (On additional charges of breach-of-contract and negligent damage to the Hyland home's floor, a possible trial date against producers was set for April 2016.) In October 2015, Abby was charged with attempting to hide $775,000 of income from Dance Moms, Abby's Ultimate Dance Competition and multiple other projects during Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. In July 2016, she later pleaded guilty to bankruptcy fraud. Abby was additionally accused of divvying up $120,000 and having her friends carry the money in plastic bags in their luggage in August 2014, which she promised to forfeit in January. In May 2017, she received a sentence of 366 days in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release. She was additionally fined $40,000 and ordered to pay the $120,000 judgment. On 13 July, 2017, Abby checked into FCI Victorville facility in California.23 In March 2018, after serving 259 days in prison, she was transferred to a halfway house at the Residential Reentry Center in Long Beach and was released on May 28, 2017. On April 17, 2018, Abby went into surgery for a multi-level laminectomy after she experienced “excruciating neck pain” and weakness in her arm. The almost five-hour surgery required an 18-inch incision on her back and the back part of several vertebrae had to be removed to relieve pressure on her spinal cord.26 It was originally believed that she had been suffering from a spinal infection, however, on April 18, Abby was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma. Fun Facts * According to Abby, there is actually something in contracts, specifically for title holders, that leads to fines if they leave Abby as their teacher-of-record ($100,000 according to Christi); but this does not apply to leaving the studio in general.28 When an ALDC student was asked if the $100,000 penalty was really true for the Dance Moms girls, the student laughed, and indicated it applied to more than just the girls on the show. * Abby's membership in Dance Masters of America was reportedly terminated in early 2012 by her own chapter.30 Abby had been a member since 1986.31 Her mother, Maryen Lorrain Miller, continues to be listed as a lifetime member (since 1946), and in association with Reign Dance Productions. * Abby liked her racy36 paparazzi photo with executive producer John Corella so much that she used it for her desktop picture. * According to Christi, Abby loves controversy, and her "signature piece" choreography in 2010 "was about a heroin addict who killed herself and kept her baby in a box." * Abby jokes that the guy she 'dated' on Dance Moms has a wife who is still upset about it. * Abby claimed that Christi was under contract from Lifetime and Collins Avenue and she couldn't get rid of Christi and Chloe; but that they also couldn't quit. * Abby's favorite genre to choreograph is "probably" musical theater. * Abby claims that getting hit with Cathy's purse was the most surprising thing that happened on the show. * Abby wanted to keep Kamryn on the show but the producers kicked her and her mom off becuase they didn't cause enough drama. * Abby revealed during a live stream in 2016 that someone else selects three or four songs and then gives them to Abby, who then makes the final decision. Credits Director Filmography Archive Footage Endorsements Follow Abby on Social Media * Twitter * Instagram * Youtube